My Dear Friends,
I apologise for my short hiatus and for not posting sooner. I was catching up with some college work, but now I that am back, I hope to encourage and inspire you once more. Ideally, I would like at the very least to have a post per week, but as God leads, I will follow.
What a wonderful new season we are entering into here in South Africa- Spring! Everything is coming alive again; flowers bloom, landscapes change and a feeling of possibility permeates. How often do we find the seasons of nature reflected in our own lives?
Spring: Life abounds, joy is found, the air thick with expectation.
Summer: Seems to last forever with it's long days and endless nights. I remember my summer's in Chicago: Potbelly's pistachio ice-cream, my after-work swim in the lake and Salsa dancing with my friends...Sigh.
Sunsets at 10pm. Who doesn't love summer?
Autumn: nature's spectacular prelude to winter: Harvest-time, apple cider, beautiful hues of red, gold and brown as the leaves metamorphasize once more. (Can you tell I miss Chicago yet, lol?)
But then the flurries come. Or, here in South Africa, the wind.
And before we know it, Winter is here.
Sometimes in life, we try to fight the winter season. Much like the great blizzard of February 2011, when we were snowed in for almost a week. We knew it was coming- and we didn't like it! Life came to a screeching halt. Roads would be closed down. There were already people stuck on the freeway from Chicago. I had to get supplies. Fast.
Me+ 3 kids under 8+ No school= #thinkonyourfeet and Pray!!!
Well, 3 cakes [a giant cupcake counts, ok:)]; 4 batches of cookies; 7 art projects; 2 movies [only 2!-I know!!], 5 games of Battleship and 1 AMAZING PIRATE-TREASURE-HUNT-DELUXE later, the snow cleared.
The snow-blower came out, together with the sun. I had survived, and the scale was proof of my battle scars- Ouch! Still, while my success was evident, I knew that if I had spent more time preparing indoor activities for the kids- prior to the storm- I would have been better equipped for it.
Sometimes, life's like that. Sometimes, God warns us when we are about to go through a "blizzard" and need to stock up on spiritual supplies. Spending daily time in His presence and in His Word is vital, so that when the storms of life and winter seasons come- we can stand; we can overcome. There is nothing like the presence of the Living God to refresh a weary soldier. His Spirit lifts us up to a place of rest and renewal. We believe again, trust again, hope again- LIVE again.
Training our inner ear to hear His voice, amongst the many voices out there, is also vital. By listening to His voice, we are led to His will where we find peaceful pastures and abundant life.
"My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me."
John 10:27
Only God truly knows what is best for you today. He has promised that He will guide us with His eye (Psalm 32:8). You CAN trust Him completely because He loves YOU completely.
The Practice of The Presence of God, by Brother Lawrence is once such book that has brought a depth in understanding the wisdom of abiding in His presence. It has also helped me to better comprehend the seasons of life, and thus left an indelible impression on my walk of Faith. Here is one such excerpt about his views;
"During the winter, Herman looked at a barren tree, stripped of leaves
and fruit, and realized it awaited the sure hope of a springtime revival
and summer abundance. Gazing at the tree, Herman grasped deeply the
extravagance of God's grace and the unfailing sovereignty of divine
providence. Like the tree, he felt seemingly dead, but held hope that
God had life waiting for him, and the turn of seasons would bring
fullness. At that moment, he said, that leafless tree "first flashed in
upon my soul the fact of God," and a love for God that never ceased."
What a hope!!
So, when you feel the storms of life approaching, or become unsettled by the changing seasons- remember:
" Every generous act of giving and every perfect gift is from above and
comes down from the Father who made the heavenly lights, in whom there
is no inconsistency or shifting shadow."
James 1:17 ISV
Seasons may change, but God alway remains the same: Faithful.
Until later...
Keep Becoming His Best
© 2012 Allison Pillay
